That’s what the customer calls it anyway. It’s a mandolin scale, with an extra bass C string, on a small guitar styled body to manipulate the tone and physical balance. It took a lot of discussion and several wooden “mock ups” to get it to look right. I was very happy with the result, but even more pleased when I heard back from the client.

“ I’ve never had an instrument as aesthetically pleasing as this one - I dared not hope for as warm and honeyed a sound as I can get from this, particularly on the lower strings. It glows.”

So that’s ok then.

Apart from the 5 strings and the overall size, the customer was intent on figured Walnut with blue lines, and the larger body was helped by adding a suitable bevel just where the right arm would catch the corner. There are many shapes and techniques which can be used for such a feature, I'm hoping to work my way through all of them, given enough time and “suitable” customers.

The neck is laminated with Mahogany, Rosewood and Walnut with blue lines to match everything else. The top is Sinker Redwood with Rosewood trim, a strange little thing but very sweet, and SO comfortable to hold.
It was a pleasure to build, not easy, but such a lovely size to handle and to have on the bench.

And hopefully a video soon.

12 string Goodfellow

A special order for one of Lisa Hannigan’s family.

Engelmann Spruce top. Reclaimed mahogany neck laminated with Ebony. A slotted headstock- that caused a few misgivings, but it’s what the customer wanted, and it does look nice. I was a lot happier when I found decent tuners to do the job.

The guitar has a Wenge Body with Coconut bindings. I just LOVE Wenge, so many lovely splinters and Jurassic grain to fill, absolutely delightful. So delightful that I might have to deny us the pleasure of ever working with it again, because I can't allow myself or Alex and Paul to have so much fun more than once or twice in a lifetime. I might even celebrate its beautiful-ness with a bonfire of my remaining stock.

The end result though, is very good looking, the yellow inlay lines bordering the bindings and through the neck complement the dark brown timber, and the guitar does work, the sound isn’t as thin as I might have expected from a small body, plus, it’s a very convenient size, so in spite of the difficulties, a great success.

”Billboard Live in New York City”. We can always rely on Lisa for a classy performance.
I think I have sold more Ariel’s in New York than anywhere else. I’ve promised to take Moira there one day, then on to Niagara Falls. Now that I’ve told everyone, I’ll have to do it won’t I?

Eric sent me this picture with the caption “starting to write a new song” and it arrived just as I was starting to write this newsletter. He says the “Guitalele” is a “gorgeous gem”.

Then a package arrived in the post with TWO cds in it.

Eric and 33 Strings. Track 9 has Eric playing Donovan’s “Colours”, using the Guitalele. I do wish it were on youtube. The album covers a huge amount of musical ground, with new songs and reworking of older ones, using Kora, Weissenborn and Pedal Steel. And 6 string acoustics of course. As Eric says- 33 strings!

A little lesson for Eric’s guitar fans, and an interview about the album.

Eric is planning a one-man theatre show “Tales from a Blues Brother” Wow. I’ll tell you more when I can.

Moira and I have a lovely credit in the notes, Eric is always very generous to his friends .Link to Eric's website.

Nylon string Guitalele

An order from Ben Ottewell, who you may know from “Gomez”, but is currently working solo. This time, it’s a nylon strung version, with a Cedar top. Ben and Sarah drove up from Brighton to collect it and have a little holiday.

We met Ben with John Smith, it’s getting to be quite a “family”. John features a lot on Ben’s next album, which no doubt will soon be featured here: Link to Ben's website

Custom Building

With all these unusual instruments this month, this is a good chance to talk about “what we do”.

By far, most of the instruments we make are “standard models”, even if they do often go to very demanding, professional musicians. The designs have been tweaked and re-tweaked for over forty years, in collaboration with those same (now sometimes slightly ancient) professional players, and now with a whole new set of younger artists. We have standard guitar models, and other instruments, to suit everybody who aspires to a higher level of playing.

But I love a challenge - Martin Carthy says I’m “fearless”. Only with wood and metal, Martin. I’m terrified of my wife.

A significant part of our work is “one off”, and sometimes it can be something very unusual. Each instrument needs a wooden mould to keep the body in shape while we work, and sometimes we modify that mould for a second version, or strengthen them if the design is repeated, but I never throw them away. I’ll try and remember to take another picture in about ten years’ time.

8 string “Tenor”

We built this for Craig Fuller (Little Feat, Pure Prairie League). The idea started as a Mandola, but with a fuller sound from a larger body and fixed bridge. After throwing a few ideas back and forward across the Atlantic, we came up with this, and because of the new restrictions on Rosewood, it made sense to use Macassar Ebony. It was also a good excuse to use some of the smaller pieces of striking material that accumulate over the years.

The top is Sitka Spruce, trying to get as “firm” a sound as possible. The bindings are Ebony, as are the fingerboard, bridge, head veneer and neck laminations.

It’s built on a Tenor guitar body, so now we have built 4 string, 6 string, and 8 string Tenors. If someone would order a 2 string, I could sing “2, 4, 6, 8, who do we appreciate?”

The cutaway wasn’t intended to be quite so pointed. The old phrase “Strike while the iron is hot” can be re worked into “bend while the wood is hot”. If you stop to answer a telephone call, some woods will get grumpy and say “No, I like being this shape, you had your chance, now leave me alone”. The actual story this time is a bit more complicated than that.

A customer in Germany had his 1979 Orsino stolen in Wunstorf, Near Hannover. We don’t know the serial number, but there is a special BB band pickup fitted, wired in stereo.

If any one sees it, please let me know

Family outing

Another bit of family history. A picture taken in 1927, I am not in the “Sharrabang”, so no comments thank you.

Wouldn’t it be lovely to show up at Ullapool in one of these? The journey might take a few extra days though, and that suitcase wouldn’t be enough for Moira.

Ullapool Guitar Festival

When we get there, we will see Tony McManus, Robert Foster, Tim Edey, Adam Palma, Daryll Kellie, Richard Smith, and all our usual drinking and pool playing friends- Clive Carroll, Will McNicol, David Buckingham, Adam Bulley, Chas Mackenzie, John Goldie, Hugh Burns etc. I’ll never get them all into the Sharra on the way home. At least the speed cameras on the A9 won’t be an issue.

Half of a Claro walnut tree, grown in England and one year into it’s drying and seasoning. It is lovely timber, and I’m so pleased to be able to use home grown material.

Cuban Mahogany

I had a phone call from a local sawmill, a retiring joiner had approached them with a bundle of old timber and they thought of me! In amongst about forty cubic feet of Brazilian Mahogany were these boards of very nice Cuban Mahogany, with excellent “chatoyance”. Look it up, I didn’t know what that meant until I was trying to identify the timber, I already have plans for it.

Folk Awards 2017

Once again we were at The Albert Hall to support various friends. Link to website

We had our usual grandstand view from a box above the stage.

A Fylde Bouzouki and a Magician guitar started it all off, in amongst Afro Celt sound system.

Jez Lowe was there with his bouzouki, playing alongside many of our friends in “The ballads of child migration”

Martin Carthy found me in the hotel lobby and needs two of his guitars refretting.

Here he is with one of them, and one particular combination of his family. Link to video

I really want to go to Normafest one year, but life gets in the way.

Our good friends Ben Walker, Elliott Morris, Jarlath Henderson, Innes Watson, Chris While, Julie Matthews and Sam Kelly, were all at the after show party and in the hotel bar into the early hours. We can still keep up! Just about.

The Design Museum

The next morning, I wanted to go to the Science Museum (I ALWAYS want to go to the Science Museum), and Moira wanted to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum (Moira ALWAYS----). We compromised and went to the Design Museum. It was closer anyway. The coffee was very well designed. Design Museum website

Then we went to “Sticky Fingers” for lunch, and Moira tried to explain Avocado to me. Success rating 5%. Add barbecue sauce, 45%, but still weird.

John Smith

The highlight of the trip. The Union Chapel has a deserved reputation amongst acoustic musicians. Informal, good beer and food, tea and coffee in pot mugs. Wooden Pews, with ledges intended for prayer books but perfect for drinks. Probably worth going no matter who is playing. Link to Union Chapel Website

My Uncle used to describe a pub as “a church where the prayer books have handles on” Close.

The venue was sold out, John’s performance was tailored to the situation, very gentle, quietly humorous. He quite rightly received a standing Ovation. I made him give it back.

His songs are not quite as dark as his earlier writing, but the intensity has moved to other areas. Link to video

There are not many singers who are able to put so much into the guitar part, and make it look so simple.

We spent a lot of time with Elliott at the Folk awards, he seems to know everybody in the business, and the musicians contributing to his new album are a cross section of the whole music world, very impressive.

The album is available on June 16th, (that’s two you have to buy now) you can pre- order here. Link to order CD

I’ve not seen this video technique used before, it’s very effective. Build your own virtual band.
Will is working on a new album, with Clive Carroll as producer. I think he needs a hobby. He’s tried playing pool, that didn’t work too well.

Of course, Elliott Morris likes a game of pool as well. I needn’t say anymore, other than Tristan Seume and I need to get together soon, Ullapool is approaching.